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Scroll
A scroll, represented by , performs magic when you read it, and then vanishes. Table of scrolls The table is divided into price groups. See price identification. Generation Scrolls comprise 16% of all randomly-generated items in the main dungeon, 18% in containers, 22% on the Rogue level, and 1% in Gehennom. Scrolls appear 1/8 cursed, 3/4 uncursed, and 1/8 blessed. On top of random generation, scrolls can be found in book shops, in bones files, and amongst the possessions of recently deceased monsters. Writing scrolls The Ink column gives the greatest number of magic marker charges required to write a scroll. The actual number of charges used will be a random amount from Ink/2 to Ink-1; if your marker has fewer than Ink/2 charges, you will be unable to attempt to write the scroll. Wizards have a base 1/3 chance of writing an unknown scroll, and all other classes have a base 1/15 chance; your chance generally improves with higher luck, to a maximum of about 98% for Wizards and 32% for other classes. You can only write scrolls on blank paper, which can be made by getting any scroll wet (except mail) or cancelling any scroll (except mail). Failure to write the scroll will cause the blank scroll to be used up. You can select non-blank scrolls to write on, but this will abuse your wisdom and you will be told, "That scroll is not blank!" Reading scrolls All scrolls take one turn to read and are destroyed if successfully read, except for the scroll of blank paper which has no effect. In order to read a scroll, you must either be unblind or know the appearance of the scroll. When a scroll is read, it will be used up and disappear (except blank paper). The effects depend on the blessing of the scroll. Non-cursed means either blessed or uncursed. If you are confused while reading the scroll, "you mispronounce the magic words" and may obtain a different effect. Some scrolls have a different message for "beginners"; a character is considered a beginner until accumulating 2000 score points (1000 for Wizards). See the individual scroll articles for details on each scroll. Identification The majority of scrolls can only be identified by using them, or using a scroll of identification. A notable exception is the scroll of scare monster, which, if cursed, will crumble upon being picked up. Seeing a monster read a scroll of create monster or scroll of teleportation also identifies the scroll for you. Scrolls of identify, light, and enchant weapon may also be identified by their unique price. The scroll of earth may be identified by finding the guaranteed ones in Sokoban. Many veteran players will not read an unidentified scroll unless they have a pretty good guess what it could be. Nonetheless, if you are desperate and you have a large variety of price-IDd, pet-tested scrolls in your inventory, you may try to identify them by reading them. This should be done once you are no longer a beginner, as some scrolls are not directly identifiable at that point. Read-testing scrolls can be risky, and there are several precautions that should be observed: *BUC-test all scrolls. Reading a scroll of genocide without knowing its beatitude first can be deadly, or at the very least, a waste of a valuable scroll. Likewise, a cursed scroll of teleportation can be very dangerous. Generally speaking, do not try to read-identify a cursed scroll. *Take off your armor if you haven't identified scrolls of destroy armor. If you have, take off all armor save for the one you'd like to enchant, should you happen to read a scroll of enchant armor. *If your weapon is already enchanted past +5, unwield it, as reading a scroll of enchant weapon may cause its destruction. *Make sure you're only holding the scroll you're about to test, and any other scrolls, potions, or spellbooks are either put away in a bag, or at least two squares away, to prevent their destruction by a scroll of fire. *Make sure any other items you wish to identify are out, in case you're reading a scroll of identify. It's also best to have a good wand or chargable ring out, for scrolls of charging. *Read-testing scrolls in Sokoban is not recommended, as a scroll of earth will result in a loss of luck (and possibly getting stuck). Likewise, make sure that you aren't in a position where you'll be trapped if you do read a scroll of earth. *Read-testing scrolls on an unmapped level is nice, so that a scroll of magic mapping won't be wasted. However, it does make reading a scroll of teleportation more dangerous. *It's nice to have a way to escape punishment, such as a nearby pit and boulder. *Be ready for a fight in the event that you read a scroll of create monster. *Finally, don't read-ID a scroll at all unless you are sure that it is not a scroll of amnesia (either because you have already identified amnesia, or because you have price-checked it). Otherwise you may have to start all over. Messages When read a scroll, you receive the following messages: ; "As you read the scroll, it disappears." * You are not blind, have a mouth and read a scroll. Effects of the scroll happen ; "As you pronounce the formula on it, the scroll disappears." * You are blind, have a mouth and know either the magic words or the identity of the scroll. Effects of the scroll happen ; "As you cogitate the formula on it, the scroll disappears." * You are blind, have no mouth and know either the magic words or the identity of a scroll. Effects of the scroll happen ; "Being blind, you cannot read the formula on the scroll." * You are blind but have neither seen the magic words nor identified the scroll. No effects happen and the scroll is not destroyed Encyclopedia entry See Also * Scroll origins References * scrl-343.txt External links * Scrolls and their effects in NetHack 3.4 *